Butt-gauging tool



Oct. 20, 1953 H. T. MORGAN BUTT-GAUGING TOOL INVENTOR. fie/681'? Z Worgan HTTORNEK 2 Sheets-Sheet l r z g' BY 5i i a Z0 Filed March 15, 1950 1953 H. T. MORGAN 2,655,732-

- BUTT-GAUGING TOOL.

Filed March 13, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR." Herb e1? 7."- Worgaw Patented Oct. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES i ATENT OFFICE BUTT-GAUGING TOOL Herbert '1. Morgan, Santa Ana, Calif.

Application March 13, 1950, Serial No. 149,390

Claims. 1

This invention relates to a carpenters tool, and more particularly to a so-called doubleor triple-butt gaging tool, that is a tool which can be applied either to the jamb of a door or to the back edge of a door whereby the proper position of the butt portions of hinges can be marked on the door jamb or door edge so that proper alignment of the respective recesses to accommodate the hinges will be absolutely determined.

An important object of the invention is to provide a butt-gaging tool having mounted thereon a plurality of die members, the tool being adapted to be applied to the jambor rear edge of the door, the dies hit with a hammer, whereby the wood of the jamb or door is scored, and, after the tool has been removed, the wood being chiseled out as outlined by the die members to accommodate the usual butts of a hinge.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool which is composed of three separable sections so that the same can be dismantled and carried in a carpenters kit or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the respective dies can be adjusted with respect to the tool body to accommodate hinge butts at different positions along the door jamb or door edge.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tool which is adapted to fit a door jamb or door edge and having lugs with nail holes mounted therein whereby the tool can be tempo rarily nailed to the door jamb or door edge before the dies are struck.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a butt-gaging tool comprised of separable sections and having means whereby the respective sections are adjustable with respect to each other to accommodate doors of different heights.

A further object of the invention is to provide a but -gaging tool which can be applied either to a right-hand door jamb and right-hand opening door or to a left-hand door jamb and a left-hand opening door.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a view in vertical elevation showing the gaging implement applied to the face of a door jamb onto which jamb is going to be applied a right-hand opening door, the door jamb being shown partially in section;

Fig. 2 is a vertical elevational view showing the gaging implement applied to the rear edge of a right-hand opening door;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged View in elevation of the upper section of the gaging implement, the same being partly in section;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but with the section turned ninety degrees and showing the rear side of the upper member of the gaging tool;

Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged elevational edge views of the upper section of the gaging implement;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line (-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-45 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section on the line 99 of Fig. 3, showing the specific die construction;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line Ill-40 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 11 is a section on the line IIH of Fig. 2; Fig. 12 is a front face View of one of the die members;

Fig. 13 is a rear face view of one of the die members;

Fig. 14 is a vertical edge view of one of the die members and looking at same from the left-hand side of Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is a somewhat modified construction of the die member showing a different form of supporting member for the die; and

Figs. 16 and 17 are modifications showing the respective sections being hinged together rather than being slidably engaged together.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which like numerals indicate similar parts throughout the various views, the tool comprises an upper section 6, an intermediate, or middle, section 1, and a lower bottom section 8, said sections all being composed of substantially square tubular metal stock. The upper section or member of the tube is composed of substantially square tubular stock, as indicated at 9, and has inserted therein a similarly shaped piece of wood, indicated at Ill, which does not extend all the way down the full length of the tubing 9 but stops at a point substantially above the bottom of the tube.

The tube 9, together with the wood insert 50, is bored, as indicated at H, l2, l3 and M, with four equally spaced holes which extend completely through the casing 9 and wood block Ill.

Attached to the inner face of the member 9 is a die member l5 which has provided an integral shank Hi, the same extending outwardly from the die member and being provided with openings which are adapted to receive bolts H, the bolts extending through the holes [3 and I4 and having applied thereto wing nuts l8, whereby the die can be clamped securely to the member 9. As will be seen, this die member, of course, can be adjusted vertically with respect to the member 9, and the bolts I! can be applied in any of the four holes ll, [2, l3 and I4 to vary the distance of the die from the top portion of the member 9.

Below the die member l5 the section 9 has attached thereto as by screws l9 a lug plate 20, said plate having a nail hole 2| drilled in its outer edge, whereby, when the tool is applied to a door jamb or door edge, a nail or the like can be driven through the hole 21 to securely hold the implement in place.

The upper portion of the member 9 is provided with an angle plate 22 which lies substantially flush against the outside section 9 and has a portion 23 which is bent over the upper end -of the section 9, the portions 22, 23 being connected at one side as by web portion 24, said web portion having an opening 25 therein.

The plate 22 has struck therefrom two pairs of inwardly extending guide lugs 26 and'21 which engage the sides of the member 9. The plate 22 is pivoted to the member 9' as by a screw pin 28 extending through the casing. '9 iand through the respective lugs 26 and being' provided with a nut 29. The plate 22, adjacent its upper end substantially in alignment with the ears 21, is provided with a bolt 30 which extends through an opening in the plate and through .a front opening in the tubing 9 and a rear-opening 3.1 in the tubing 9 and is provided with a compression spring '32, a washer 33, andvainut 34. .Thus, the spring 32 normally tends'to hold the plate 22 in engagement with the side of the tubing' 9. The purpose'of this device will be later described The center section of the instrument, or tool, is composed of a square metal tubing substantially identical to the tubing :9, but in this section the wood insert extends a considerable distance past the respective ends of this tubing as indicated at 35 and 36. The section is" provided with a die substantially identical with the die described with respect to the section '9, and therefore needs no further detailed description.

'The'middle section ispr'ovided with .a plurality of screws 31 which are screwed into the wood insert and hold the'tubing securely'to the wooden core, as best seen in Fig. 11

The main part of the wooden section which is inserted within the middle or intermediate tube section I, the ends being shownat'35, '36, is provided with aspring projected pin 38, said pin being adapted to project through a plurality of openings 39 which are bored in one of the side faces of the lower end of the upper element 9 and the upper end of the lower element 8. Therefore, it will be seen in the assembly of the tool that the'projecting ends 35 and '39 are inserted within the hollow ends of the upper and lower sections 6 and 8 until the pin 38ex'tends through the desired opening -39.

The die members 15', which are all substantially identical, are 'each'provided with a front cutting edge 49, a bottom cutting edge4'l, and a top cutting edge 42. The dies are provided adjacent their inner edges with two lugs 43 and 44 which are of a greater depth than the respective cutting edges of the die, said lugs being adapted to abut against the edge of the door jamb or against the outer edge of the door surfacewhen the tool is applied to the jamb or door. Thus, it will be seen that when the tool is applied to the door the lugs '43 and 44- act as stops to prevent the tool' from being moved inwardly too far and also act in the capacity of properly positioning the dies with respect to the jamb or door edge; The rear surfaces of the respective die members 4 are substantially flat, as indicated at 45, to accommodate the head of a hammer or the like when the same are struck to cut or score the surface of the jamb or door edge.

The dies are further provided with a lug member l6, as heretofore recited, said lug being provided with openings 46 through which the bolts I! are adapted to pass, and whereby the die members are readily fastened to the tool as by the wing nuts 18.

The modification of the die member shown in Fig. 15 is substantially identical to that shown Fig. 13 with the exception that the attaching lug-or'plate is in the form of a half ring 41 having its center cut away as indicated at 48. Of course, it will be understood that in both forms the attaching .lugs 16 and 41 are made as an integral part of the die.

The modification shown in Figs. 16 and 17 discloses a hinge member 49, whereby the respective sections of the tool can be hingedly mounted rather than in the preferred embodiment of .the invention.

In the use of the implement, the middle: or intermediate section 1 is first grasped in'the hand, in which position the wood insert extends outwardly from the metallic casing, as" at Stand 36; 35uand 36, of course, containing theis-pring pressed pin 38. The resp'e'ctivei'top and'bottom sections'fi and 8 of the tool fare: then applied to the center section as by the endimembers '35 and 36 being inserted lengthwise -withinthe open' tubular portions of the upper and lower'sections until the pin 38' springs through the recess-39'; the tool, of course, being adapted to be fleng-thened or shortened arccordin i'towhich opening 39 the'pin .38 extends through; Thus, in its assembled relation, thetool is applied, for example, to the ,iamb'of a door, :as shown in Fig. 1.

In this position the member 23 of the "plate 122 overlies the top of'th'e jamb' and, in efiect, supports the tool the proper distance from the top of the 'jamb. Nextpthe tool is appliedfiush to the face of the jam'b until the stop members 43 and 44 abut the face, whereupon the tool is in place. In this position nails are driven, for example, through the holes ZTin the tabs 20 and the tool 'is held in place. In this position the respectivev die members l5 are selectively struck on their flat portions 4'5 by a hammer or the like, which blows make an incision in the door jamb at predetermined spaced points, that is wherever the dies appear.

After this has been done the nails in "the tabs 29 are withdrawn until removed. Thereafter, the tool, in its reversed position, is applied to the-edge of a door in order to properly match the face of the butts, the plate 2'3overlying the upper edge of the 'door and-the tool being pressed against the doorunt'il the 1ugs'43 and 44 engage the face of the door, whereupon the usual procedure of chiseling'outthe'recessfor the respective butts is accomplished, and it can therefore be seen that the same are in alignment and there is absolutely no chance of error.

In the event that a left-hand opening door is to be applied to a door jamb, the tool is simply reversed, whereupon the bottom'becomes the top and the top becomes the bottom. 'The same procedure is followed as with the'illustration in Figs. 1 and 2 in which it is intended that a righthand opening door is to be employed.

In the illustration shown, it will be seen that whenth'e angle member 23 :of the plate 22 overlies the door jamb the lower plate" 22"willlnot' extend to the bottom of the jamb or door and when the tool is moved into place this bottom member 22, being pivoted as at 28, simply moves out against the action of the spring 32 to allow for the tool to be put in alignment with the jamb or door. However, when the instrument is reversed, then the members 22 which appear at the bottom of the tool as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 then become the top of the tool and therefore the angle iron 23 of the member 22 overlies the door or jamb, whichever the same is applied to.

It will therefore be seen that the gage does away with all guesswork or individual measuring and provides a speedy and accurate means of marking the jamb and door in the exact places where the hinge butts should be applied. If a three-hinge arrangement is desired, then the middle die is used in addition to the two end dies. However, if only a two-hinge arrangement is to be used, then the middle die is, and can be, readily removed from the tool.

A further advantage of my tool is that it provides for ready adjustment of the respective dies together with a lengthening of the tool, whereby the same can be used for diiferent sized doors and jambs. Thus, in the use of the tool on, say, a seven-foot door the extreme top and bottom dies would be moved to their extreme upper and lower positions. However, on a smaller door the dies can be readily moved inwardly to accommodate the proper positioning of the butts. It, if course, will also be understood that the tool can be lengthened somewhat as by the ends 35 and 36, the middle section being adjusted with respect to the plurality of openings 39 in the ends of the respective end sections.

Therefore, various sizes and designs, as required, are contained in this implement for standardized and precision butt-gaging or buttmarking.

It is obvious that various designs and sizes may be used with this implement, although it is primarily designed for doubleor triple-butt gaging for doors and jambs.

The gage or marker, therefore, carries a plurality of die of the exact size of the butt intended to be used and comprises a shape of the size of butt to be used, the dies being provided with sharp edges which are hollow ground to produce a very sharp marking edge.

From the foregoing description it is obvious that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be readily apparent that change in the size, shape and minor details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A door and jamb butt-marking tool comprising a plurality of connected sections including a middle and two end sections all of substantially equal lengths, va die marker mounted at the mid-point of the middle section, holding plates mounted at opposite sides of said die marker, door or door jamb end-engaging stop members swingably mounted at the ends of the respective end sections, yielding means tending to maintain said stop members in operative position, said holding plates being located adjacent said stop members, and die markers mounted on the end sections adjacent said holding plates, the die markers being spaced at equal distances from the respective ends of the end sections so that the tool can be used for either right or left hand swinging doors.

2. An implement for butt-gaging doors and door jambs including a base for application to a door jamb, a plurality of spaced marking guides carried by and projecting laterally of said base to overlie a door or jamb edge, said base including at least two relatively extensible sections, each section carrying a marking die, a door or door lamb end-engaging stop member swingably mounted adjacent the outer ends of each of the terminal base sections, and each of said stop members having portions overlying the outer end of the related base section when the stop member is in operative position.

3. A butt gage marking tool comprising middle and end sections, said sections being composed of tubular metal, the end sections having wooden inserts therein but terminating short of at least the inner ends of the sections, said middle section having a wooden insert extending at each side beyond the ends of the section, locking pins adjacent each end of the last mentioned wooden insert, each end section having recesse adjacent its inner end to receive the locking pins, marking dies mounted on and extending inwardly from the face of the sections, said dies being adjustably mounted on the sections, tool mounting tabs fastened to the sections, and a pivoted cap piece pivotally attached to each end section and overlying the top of the upper end sections.

4. An implement for butt-gaging doors and door jambs including a base for application to a door jamb, a plurality of spaced marking guides on the edge of said base and overlying the door or jamb edge, said base including at least two relatively extensible sections, each section carrying a marking guide, a door or jamb end-engaging stop member swingably mounted on the outer ends of each terminal base section, and yielding means tending to maintain said stop member in operative position.

5. A butt gage marking tool comprising middle and end sections, said sections being composed of tubular metal, the end sections having wooden inserts therein but terminating short of at least the inner ends of the sections, said middle section having a wooden insert extending at each side beyond the ends of the section, locking pins adjacent each end of the last mentioned Wooden insert, each end section having recesses adjacent its inner end to receive the locking pins,'marking dies mounted on and extending inwardly from the face of the sections, said dies being adjustably mounted on the sections, and tool mounting tabs fastened to the sections.

HERBERT T. MORGAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 495,761 Shepard Apr. 18, 1893 1,224,302 Johnson May 1, 1917 1,400,898 Murdock Dec. 20, 1921 1,403,304 Egbert Jan. 10, 1922 1,671,858 Forsberg et a1 May 29, 1928 1,788,256 Sherwin Jan. 6, 1931 2,547,489 Priebe Apr. 3, 1951 

